Row of nesting chairs



March 6, 1956 c. MACKINTOSH 2,737,230

ROW OF NESTING CHAIRS Filed June 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN O R BY max;

ATTORNEYS March 6, 1956 c, MACKINTOSH 2,737,230

ROW OF NESTING CHAIRS Filed June 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent "ice 2,737,230 ROW 0F NESTING CHAIRS Charles Mackintosh, Los Angeles, Calif. Application June 15, 1953, Serial No. 361,479

2 Claims. (Cl. 155- 130) This invention relates to articles of furniture and more particularly to chairs of the type more commonly referred to as nesting chairs.

It has been the common practice when employing temporary seating in an auditorium or the like to use a folding chair which could be collapsed and stored when not being used. This process has not only proved very timeconsuming but folding and moving the chairs very cumbersome. It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a rigid nesting chair which is of sturdy and durable construction and has no moving parts but is provided with means whereby the chair may be scooped up and carried in nesting fashion with other chairs to a place of storage.

It is both important and necessary to make the frame of nesting furniture in such a way that the pieces will compactly nest against each other; It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a frame member of a generally reversed Z-shaped configuration thus having the frame open toward the front. This open front makes it possible for the chairs to be nested one against the other. v

It is a further object of this invention to provide a nesting chair in which a single rigid seat and back member is supported on either side by these inverted Z-shaped frame members.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following detailed description in which:

Figure l is a side elevation view of a number of chairs of the invention in nesting relationship as carried on a dolly;

Figure 2 is a front elevation view showing a series of chairs connected to each other in side-by-side rela tionship;

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing a chair and part of an adjoining chair of a row;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the lines 44 of Figure 2 showing the connection between the arm and the back member;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view along the lines 5--5 of Figure 2 showing the cleat member employed in connecting the chairs to the transporting dolly;

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of a single chair;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view showing a modified connection between the seat and back member and the frame;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Figure 7 showing the connection between the seat and two adjacent frame members; and

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view along the line 9-9 of Figure 8 showing the connection between the seat and the frame.

Referring now to the drawings in connection with a more detailed description of the invention, a nesting chair made according to the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The frame for the chair comprises two side frame members designated genbody-receiving portions of two adjacent chairs.

2,737,230 Patented Mar. 6, 1956 orally at 11. These side frame members have a generally horizontal floor-engaging portion 12, and a generally horizontal arm portion 13. A diagonal brace member 14 interconnects the floor-engaging member 12 and the arm 13. As can be seen best in Figure 7, the diagonal member 14 extends from the forward end of arm 13 to the rearward end of a floor-engaging portion 12. This in effect produces a reversed Z-shaped frame member which is opened frontwardly. The chair being designed as a nesting chair, it is both necessary and important therefore that this frame member opens frontwardly to allow the chairs to nest one upon the other.

The frame members 11 can be made of any durable material such as steel rod or tubing stock.

The improvednesting chair is provided with a bodyreceiving member designated generally as 15; This bodyreceiving member 15 is preferably made in a one-piece construction and has a seat portion 16 and a back portion 15'. v The body-receiving member can be made of any suitable material such as wood or metal. The bodyreceiving member 15 also has a cleat 17 which is attached to or formed integrally with the front end of seat portion 16 for purposes hereinafter described. Cleat 17 may be made of angle iron formed with a horizontal flange 36 and a vertical depending flange 37. Flange 36 has a series of apertures 38 formed therein and is attached to the underside of the forward edge of seat member 16 by bolts or rivets 35.

Referring now to the connection between the frame and the body receiving member, in the embodiment shown in Figures 1-6; the frame member 11 has a flange 18 which extends upwardly from the rearward end of the arm portion 13. As can be seen in the case of a single chair in Figure 6 or with a row of chairs as illustrated in Figure 2, the body receiving portion is cut away at 38, however, adjacent its upper end has portion 39 which extends outwardly and overlies flange 18. This flange 18 has apertures 19 contained therein and the frame is secured to the back of the body-receiving member by means of rivets 20 extending through said apertures 19 into portion 39. It is understood, of course, that other means could be used for securing these parts together, such as a bolt, screw or the like. The connection between the frame and the seat portion of the body retaining member in this embodiment, as shown best in Figure 3, comprises a plate 21 which is fixed by screws or bolts to the underside of the seat portion 16. Plate 21 carries a pin 22 which extends into an aperture 23 in the diagonal brace member 14 of frame member 11.

It will be readily seen that several of these chairs can be connected together in a row and thereby lifted and nested with other rows of these chairs in a similar manner as with single chairs. With the chairs connected in a row, as shown in Figure 2, the intermediate frame members 11 are connected with and aid in supporting the The connection between the back portion of the body-receiving member and the frame member can be effected in a similar manner as in the case of a single chair. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, bolts or rivets 20 extend through the apertures 19 in flange 18 on frame member 11 and are secured to back portion 15' of two adjacent chairs.

There is illustrated at 24 in Figure 1 a dolly or carrier for transporting the nesting chairs from one place to another. The carrier 24 has a lower conveyor belt 25 and an upper conveyor belt 26. The upper conveyor belt has cleats 27 which engage the cleat 17 of the chair to thereby pull the chair forward as the conveyor moves in a counter-clockwise direction. The bottom conveyor 25 has a shelf-like arrangement 28 against which the floorengaging portion 12 of a chair is held while the chair is being transported. The upper conveyor 26 is positioned at an inclined upward angle so that, as the cleat 27 of the conveyor engages the cleat 17 of the chair, the chair will be pulled upwardly as well as forwardly, with the lower floor-engaging portion 12' thereby being drawn tightly against one of'the shelves 28 of the lowerconveyor. It will be readily understood therefore that with the rigidly constructed chairs of the instant invention, single chairs or rows of chairs can be quickly and easily conveyed from place to place with no 'danger of breaking or otherwise injuring the chairs.

The embodiment which is shown in Figures 7 to 9 is similar to that embodiment shown in Figure 1-6, however, with a different connecting means between thebody-' receiving portion 15 and the frame member 11.- -As can best be seen in Figures 8 and 9 the means for connecting the seat portion 16 to the-diagonal frame member 14 consists of a plate member 29 having a narrow portion 30 extending therefrom. Extended portion 30 is gen erally circular in form and has a threaded end portion 31. The diagonal frame member 14 has an internally threaded aperture 32. It can be readily seen therefore that the plate member 29 can be inserted in the-threaded aperture 32 and then the enlarged portion 33 of the plate member can be secured to the underside of seat member 16 by the use of screws or rivets 34; The connection between the arm portion 13 and the back portion 15' of the body-receiving member is similar to that shown with the seat and frameconnection.

It can readily be seen, therefore, that the chair of the present invention is of a durable and sturdy construction and can be made with a minimum number of parts which can be easily assembled. I

The nesting chairs of the present invention as illus trated and described herein is by way of example only, and any changes which might occur to one skilled in the art are contemplated by the present invention, within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A row of connected auditorium chairs comprising a series of body-receiving members having seat and back portions, said back portions having lateral extensions adjacent the top thereof, the lateral extension of each chair abutting the lateral extension on the next adjacent chair; intervening frame members having a generally horizontal floor-engaging member, a generally horizontal arm member, a diagonal brace member extending from the forward end of said arm member to the rearward end of said floor-engaging member, and a flange extending upwardly from the free end of said arm member and extending in back of the abutting lateral extensions of two next adjacent body-receiving members; and means for securing said flange to each of said abutting lateral extensions.

2. A row of connected auditorium chairs comprising a series of body-receiving members having seat and back portions; intervening frame members having a generally horizontal floor-engaging member, a generally horizontal arm member, and a diagonal brace member extending from said arm member to said floor-engaging member, means for securing the seat portions of the next adjacent body-receiving members to said intervening frame memher, said means comprising connecting pins having flattened portions at one end thereof, means for securing one of said pins to the seat portions of said next adjacent body-receiving members, said pins having a threaded portion adjacent their other ends for engaging threaded apertures in opposite sides of said intervening frame member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,552,702 Irish Sept. 8, 1925 1,842,054 Sobel Jan. 19, 1932 2,215,540 Breuer Sept. 24, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 46,375 Denmark Oct. 24, 1932 632,456 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1949 

